With a little help from your friends
by DigsGirls
Summary: Still in progress. Alt story than the usual.


New writer but experienced reader. I don't promise consistent updates, finished stories or even good material. Just releasing some thoughts on this site. Despite this claim i will bug other writers for updates. Unfair i know but that's the way things go.

Claire/OC pairing

Story will include Alice of course (Haven't decided who she will be paired with)

The world was a bleak and frightening place before the outbreak occurred. Now it was simply indescribable. The stink of blood was prominent in the air. Mixing with the smell of smoke it, it was a permanent reminder even in the quiet moments that the world had come to an end. Claire Redfield's eyes stung at the thought of times before. Her life was never near perfect but it certainly had its moments. Time spent with her friends and family seemed so odd at the moment. She had arms wrapped around a young boy with one hand covering his mouth. In the dark her companions did not look as frightened, as dead. The sound of scuffling feet and moans brought her back to reality. The reality was, that along with her convoy she was hiding in a broken down school bus from whatever those things were. Some called them undead, the word zombie seemed a bit too crazy, them and others stuck to calling monsters.

Aforementioned creatures were mindlessly walking past their current shelter. The windows were covered so it wasn't possible to spot how many there were. Simply put, there were far too many. Not enough trained hands to deal with the situation and too few bullets to spare on taking a chance. For now, they hid; breathing erratic and shaking bodies evident.

The soft knocking on the door of the bus had startled the boy to the point where he had started a high pitched scream. Claire's quick reflexes saved them all and she had quietened the scream. A few of the undead had seemed to notice it but only the slightest. The noise from the other undead quickly distracted them. The undead were a lot of things but focussed was not one of those things. The figure dressed all in black, armed with a military grade machine gun had his finger over his mouth in a way to suggest the occupants of the bus should remain silent. Another hand gesture signalling to an open door about 300 meters away. Another figure with gun pointed at the moving horde.

The opportunity presenting itself was tempting but Claire's suspicious nature stalled her actions. Since the outbreak governments and their militaries had fallen. Those that promised protection were the first to fall. To turn. Safety was not in the numbers. More people meant more potential undead. Smaller groups constantly on the move were the only way to survive these days. A quick look around showed she had no other options. She would have to trust these strangers, for now. Letting go of the boy she gestured to Carlos to move. Slightly shoving the boy forward she simultaneously withdrew her handgun. The bus door opened with a creaked loud enough to capture the attention of one lone undead woman. Claire's breathe caught in her throat and she prepared to fire a single round at the creature.

There was no need. The undead woman dropped with a few seconds. The gunshot had been muffled, the only sound was that of the body toppling over. A sniper a distance away had taken the undead out. Claire was not aware of the sniper nor did she care at the moment. She was first off the bus and into the open door. Even though she was never formally elected to be their leader she had always acted as one. It was her duty to check that it was safe to exit the bus. Quickly scanning the room she saw another person gesturing for her to move. It looked safe, at least safer than that bus. A silent hand gesture towards Carlos told him to move everyone off the bus. Their movement was slow and cautious. Even a minor noise would lead to all their doom. The stranger's movements were controlled and methodical. These were trained soldiers.

"Move move move move." The voice was quiet but the instructions were clear.

Later…

"There are tents set up for observation. Men and women separate. We will be checking all of you for evidence of any bite marks or infection. Any discord will not be tolerated. Move people!"

Another soldier was barking orders. The reasoning was obvious but Claire did not like being ordered around. Of course she appreciated the help but she was uncomfortable with giving away any power. They were currently located inside an old fort. They had travelled through buildings and even some distance underground to reach the well defended fort. There were hundreds if not thousands of undead attempting to get inside, however the soldiers were shooting them down as they arrived and there were small but effective defences in place. Barbed wires, high walls and small explosives kept the undead at bay. It was an unnerving situation. Feeling safe but knowing that it would not last.

Stripping and being check was humiliating. Claire understood that it was necessary of course but confiscating her weapons made her feel bare. It had taken awhile but there was an upside, they were given clean clothing and more importantly had a quick shower. It was nothing fancy but finally they looked human again. The water was cold but did the job. Soap and shampoo had never felt so good. Now her and her entire convoy were seated in what was altered into a mess hall. The food was basic as well but went down well after months of canned food. They had already been informed that the leader of this fort would come speak to them soon. For now they enjoyed their meals while chatting to one another. Looking to her side Claire smiled at the small girl eagerly tucking into her meal. K-Mart had surprisingly become like a little sister to her. At first it made Claire uncomfortable that the girl never left her side but after a while it simply seemed normal. Like K-Mart had always been in her life. It was comforting to feel that sense of normality from someone.

The soldiers silence caught her attention, as it did with everyone else, there was a woman walking to the front of the room. There was something about this woman that instantly made people submit to her. Perhaps it was the way she carried herself, or her piercing eyes, maybe her 6 ft height and intimidating build. Likely it was everything combined. The woman had the attention of the entire room without a word.

A moment of silence took place as she looked over the room filled with people. "Welcome." Her voice was husky. "My name is Commander Hawke. I am the leader of this militant group." Again silence as she looked into the crowd of people. It seemed as if she were looking for any defiance. There was none. "We are happy to see a group of survivors. Although we have welcomed all of you with open arms, we cannot protect you. The world is not as it once was. Our mission is not to survive but to fight against the outbreak. There is no place for citizens amongst us. You are all welcome to stay until we have you safely back on the road." There was mumbling from several people and disappointed looks were being exchanged. A stern look graced the commander's face. There would be no negotiating. The woman was now walking towards Claire. Their eyes locked. "Meet me in war room once you have finished your meal." Another order but Claire felt no need to argue. The commander had walked away before she could formulate a response. Snickering next to her snapped her back to reality. K-mart had a huge grin plastered across her face. Claire could only roll her eyes.

The convoy continued their meal. Eventually some soldiers joined them. Stories were shared and the two groups enjoyed the new company. Dessert was a blessing. The children in the convoy excitedly ate the custard and jelly. They had not had such a good meal since the beginning of the outbreak. Discussion of joining the soldiers made her uneasy. The few people who could effectively use weapons were eager to prove themselves worthy of staying. One or two people were clearly going to stay. Looking to her right and a table across she sighed with some bitterness. Samantha, a fairly pretty girl, was sitting on a male soldiers lap. The skills she was applying with were not the usual. Sex for safety was a common trade lately. A group of soldiers had taken an interest. A quick glance at K-Mart made her furious. For their own sakes, the soldiers had better not expect anything from her or K-Mart.

She had better go speak to the commander to establish the situation. "Carlos watch K. I will be back soon."

A polite and kindly looking man had shown her where the war room was. As she entered the room the commander was speaking to man that look remarkably similar to her. His exit was hasty but she didn't miss the smirk he directed towards her. "Come through. Take a seat please?" The commander was gesturing to another room. There was a small office attached to the side of the war room. The war room itself was messy to say the least. There were maps all over the walls, stacks of paper and pictures of unknown people. Compared to the war room the office was incredibly neat. There wasn't a speckle of dust within sight.

The commander stood to the side holding the door open. Manners? That was something that was practically extinct these days. Claire sat on one of the chairs available in front of the desk. "Drink?" She was offering a tumbler of bourbon. The scent of Jim Beam crept up her nose. A hesitant look towards the bottle and the commander pour herself some. Drank it within one gulp to show it was kosher.

"Yes please" A second later there was a drink in Claire's hand. She wanted to savour it but could not manage that amount of self-control. One sip and it was gone. It left a pleasant burn in her throat and stomach. The glass was refilled by the commander.

"My men informed me that you are the leader of the group that arrived this morning. Is that correct?" A nod was her only answer. "Good. I do not mean to make you feel unwelcome at all but the truth, as I stated previously, is that we cannot offer any protection to you or any of your follower's protection. Our objective is to fight against the outbreak and its source. The umbrella corporation designed the virus that is now plaguing the earth. Defeating them is our only concern at the moment."

"The reports on the news were true? Umbrella caused all of this?" Claire tried not to let doubt show in her voice. The commander explained to her the origin of the virus and the corporation's role in it all. Claire had no interest in business but she was somewhat aware of the money and influence Umbrella had. Biochemical engineering was something she did not expect from the household name company. The extent of their corruption and lust for power was astonishing… that's if what the commander were saying was true.

"Unfortunately as long as umbrella exists humanity will never survive." The commander was absorbed by her thoughts. Claire took the time to truly look at the woman. She had long brown, bright green eyes and flawless skin. For a woman she was rather tall and there didn't appear to be any fat on her at all. She had an athletic build but still remained feminine. To some extent jealously took over Claire. To get a curvy but muscular figure was incredibly difficult. "I truly regret having to send you all on your way but it isn't safe with our alliance."

"How long?" Claire asked the question that had been lurking in the back of her mind since their arrival.

"Five days. We have already spotted an undamaged bus in town. Repairing the vehicle you arrived in will take longer than getting another one. We will modify it in order to make it as safe as possible. The team has already been established and the mission planned." Three days was generous. It wouldn't take a well-armed team more than a few hours to recover the vehicle. An additional 3 hours to modify it. The commander was being kind to let them stay so long. It would do the convoy some good to stay in one place for a while. "Also if you or any of your group members are interested I will make soldiers available to train them. Considering the times frame it will of course only be the basics but enough to help them survive." Another kind act gesture. The commander looked ruthless, was probably capable of making the most difficult situations, but had never lost her humanity.

"Thank you very much commander Hawke. Your help and hospitality will be greatly appreciated." A flicker of a smile showed on the commander's face. The only response was to refill her glass with more bourbon. Claire chuckled. "I might be pushing my luck but you wouldn't happen to have any cigarettes with you?"

Soft laughter came from the commander. "I'm not a smoker. Ask Steven. It's the guy guarding the door with the messed up eye. Goodnight miss…?"

"It's redfield. I would much prefer you call me Claire though." Usually once a first name basis was established the other person would also reveal their first name and things would become less formal. No such social interaction took place though. The commander did not offer any further information on herself.

The commander stood and offered her hand. They shook hands. "Goodnight Claire." She lead the way out of the room.

The meeting had gone better than expected. The commander of this fort had no ill intentions towards any of the visitors and expected no pay back for her assistance. Claire inhaled deeply. Nicotine was one of her vices. Something she missed dearly after the outbreak. Finishing her smoke she flicked it to the side. Made her way back inside from the balcony towards the room she would be sharing with K-Mart. After asking for a smoke from the guard she had asked the commander for a room rather than sleeping on a bunk with everyone else. It wasn't the comfort that she was after but rather the security it offered K-Mart. She felt uncomfortable with the idea of K-Mart asleep in a room full of strangers. Earlier she had felt the looks some of the soldiers had directed her way. She learnt at an early stage that the worst humanity had to offer would show it when there was no law enforcement. K-Mart was a vulnerable girl that had no place in the world in its current state.

Getting into bed as quietly as possible in order not to wake K-Mart, Claire settled down for the night. The girl moved towards her instantly to partially hide her body in Claire's own body. Her thoughts went from the girl, to her convoy and ended on the commander as she drifted off to sleep.


End file.
